Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and it follows on from the Prime Minister's very successful visit to North America recently. Can the minister update the House on how Australia's relationships in North America have been greatly strengthened and greatly enhanced by the Prime Minister's visit in the past fortnight.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Mitchell for his question.

Dr Chalmers interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Rankin will leave under 94(a).

The member for Rankin then left the chamber.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to report that relations with our North American friends, both the United States and Canada, have been significantly strengthened by the Prime Minister's most recent visit. I spoke yesterday about the Prime Minister's successful meeting with the United States President, and I am pleased to inform the House that the Prime Minister's discussions with Prime Minister Stephen Harper were also warm and productive, covering topics like international security, trade and development, international taxation, the G20 agenda and the like.

Canada has a shared heritage with Australia and is one of the world's great democracies. Our soldiers have fought for freedom and against common enemies as far back as the Boer War, world wars I and II, the Korean War and in Afghanistan. Canada is an active and constructive member of the United Nations, APEC, the World Trade Organization, the G20, the G8 and others.

I note the Prime Minister's visit to Canada last week was the first visit by a Prime Minister since John Howard in 2006 and I note that there was no visit by an Australian foreign minister since Alexander Downer's visit in 2006, and I intend to visit our close friend and partner to follow up on the Prime Minister's successful visit.

Canada is generally regarded as one of the world's leading nations in terms of human rights and its strong democratic foundations, in stark contrast, of course, to certain other nations. There has been a bipartisan view in this place that there are certain regimes that undermine the international order. They fund terrorism. They routinely inflict human rights abuses on their citizens. They are called pariah states. It has generally been accepted that North Korea, Iran and Syria are pariah states, but now Labor have added to their list of pariah states Canada. The shadow Attorney-General was on Melbourne radio on 11 June and described Canada as a pariah state. This is a test for the Leader of the Opposition. Show some semblance of decency and some leadership. Rebuke the member for Isaacs for calling Canada a pariah state. The Leader of the Opposition refuses to do so.

Mr Dreyfus interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Isaacs will desist!

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What an outrageous slur on one of our great friends and one of the world's great democracies to call Canada a pariah state in the company of Iran and North Korea and Syria. This is a test for the Leader of the Opposition, for, if he does not rebuke the shadow Attorney-General for calling the great democratic nation of Canada a pariah state, it is a reflection on him.

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On climate change!

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Isaacs is warned! One more utterance and he will leave.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is yet another example of the poor judgement from this embarrassing bunch of amateurs that make up Labor's frontbench.